To Reno
by Le Pecore Nere
Summary: She desperately wanted to tell him how she felt. But she didn't know how. Relena. Angstyromance. To my good friend, Reno.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok this is to my very good friend, Laura (aka Reno-xxxXXXxxx) This is an early for next year Merry Christmas (Because this was supposed to be for this year) but anymoo, I wrote this for you, and I don't rightly know if I got everything right, esp characterization. I hope you like it, and thanks for being a good friend, it means a lot.

Disclaimer: I only own the paper that this is written on, the rest belongs to the man.

-&...&-

_From a shattered home…looking for an open door…  
any way may be the way out…  
a bleeding telephone…razorblade cuts on both arms  
911 may be the way out…_

Hey yeah… anybody here now? Anyone at all?  
Does anybody hear now? Have you come and gone? 

_Dear _ _Reno__…_

The paper started. No it sounded too forced that way. She crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash next to the papers that had the same fate.

_Hey _ _Reno__…_

She scribbled across the top. No that sounded too friendly. Well not that she was unfriendly, but friendly wasn't what she was going for, especially considering what she was writing.

_To _ _Reno__…_

She wrote. Yeah that sounded better, it wasn't too forced or too friendly. 'Ok where to go from here' She thought nervously. After all it wasn't everyday that she wrote to someone, telling them how she felt. She let out a breath, and brushed away a strand of hair. She brought her shaky hand back down to the lined paper.

_I've always wanted to tell you… _

No that wasn't right either. She didn't want it to come out too fast. She crumpled the paper and started over again. From the top she wrote again.

_To _ _Reno__… _

_Do you remember the time that we_

She let out a sigh of frustration, why couldn't it just be easy? She crumpled up the paper _again_. She considered the idea of just giving up entirely. She tapped the coffee table irritably.

_"Hey 'Laney" He grinned at her. _

_"What now _ _Reno__?" She asked, looking up with a glare from her paperwork. _

_He simply grinned at her and threw a paper airplane at her. It hit her in the face. She let out a growl of frustration. "_ _Reno__! You've been doing that ALL DAY would you please stop? Some of us are trying to concentrate!" She said, and got back to the paperwork. She didn't mean to snap on him, but it was beginning to annoy her greatly. _

_"Geez don't need to get so touchy, I was just making fun." _

_"Hey Laney?" He said again. She said, not looking up from her paperwork. _

_"What?" _

_"Can I help you?" _

_"I think I know what I'm doing, but thanks" _

_He stood up, grabbed a pen, and a stack of papers, and started scribbling on the top one _

_"_ _RENO__!" She shouted, she didn't want him to ruin the papers, how would she explain the artwork on the paperwork to Tseng? She grabbed the papers from him and hit him upside the face. _

_"Hey Laney, I was only helping!" He said, but he was grinning. _

_She sat back down with a huff and looked at the damage. She saw a rather crude drawing of what Tseng would look like as a girl. _

_"What's so funny?" A stern voice asked from behind. She sat straight up. _

_"Nothing sir." Tseng glanced down at the drawing. _

_"Elena, shouldn't you be working instead of drawing what _ _Reno__ would look like with a sex change?" _

The memory brought a smile to her face. She looked back down on the piece of paper, the piece of paper that just said "To Reno" on it. She sighed, she knew what she had to write. Resolutely she put the pen to the paper and wrote. It wasn't long, but when she finished she knew it was everything she wanted to say. 'Now to finish it' she thought, and bent over and simply wrote:

_Sincerely, Elena_

On the bottom.

She put on a coat and left the apartment and made her way over to Reno's apartment. Her heart felt significantly lighter than it had before. She knew that today was the day she would finally tell Reno how she felt. A smile touched her face.

That's when she saw him. Her face fell in horror. Not because of him, but because who he was with. He had his arm wrapped around a girl's shoulder. He was laughing, and she was laughing.

Her shoulders fell. She stared down at the note in her hand, and suddenly she felt very childish. Reno couldn't possibly feel the same way toward her. She had been foolish, to think such a thing. A twang of pain crossed her heart, and a knot formed in her stomach. She crumpled the paper in her hand, and threw it angrily at the ground. She wasn't angry at Reno, or at the girl he was with. No, she was angry with herself. That she had let her heart be given to someone else. Someone who she could say she didn't _really_ know. Sure they worked together, they laughed together, they talked together. But she didn't know about his personal life, or him about hers. She turned and walked away. Walked away from something she knew she wouldn't have.

_With both heart strings torn…looking for true love and more…  
Any day may be the day of…bruised and battered bones…  
A broken heart an open sore…  
911 may be the way of _

"Hey hold on a second." Reno said suddenly to the girl. He could have _sworn_ he saw a shadow in the alleyway. He ran over to the alleyway, and saw nothing. His foot stepped on something. He looked down to see what.

It was a piece of paper. With a frown he undid it and read it.

_To _ _Reno_

It started, some of it was badly smudged, he squinted to read it.

_I never got to thank you properly for the time… so Thank you for your help it means a lot to me… never got to tell you how I felt about you. I know sometimes I'm not very… but I want you to know that you mean a lot to me, and that I love you. _

_Sincerely, _

_Elena_

He closed his eyes and sighed. Did she really feel that way?

" Reno? Is everything ok?" His sister said behind him.

"Yeah everything's fine." He put a grin back on his face, folded the paper, and placed it in his breast pocket, right near his heart.__

Hey yeah…anybody here now? Anyone at all?  
Does anybody hear now? Have you come and gone?  
Hey yeah…anybody here now? Anyone at all?  
Does anybody hear now? Have you come and gone?

Hear me when I scream!! Where is love?  
Overtaking me!!! Where is love?  
Screaming out in me!! Where is love?

-&...&-

I didn't want to leave Elena like that all sad and alone, so sorry if it ended kind of badly. But anyway, I hope that you liked it


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok, I didn't plan on updating, until I got a bunch of wonderful responses. So here is the next chapter. I just realized the unlikelyhood of any of these events happening, but shhh we'll pretend stuff like this happens all the time.

To Reno, happy very very very early birthday. (because I need an excuse to continue this for you)

Disclaimer: Nope don't own this yet. I don't own Learning to Breathe by Switchfoot, or the song in the chapter before, which was Love by Day of Fire.

-&...&-

_Hello, good morning, how ya do? _

_What makes your rising sun so new? _

_I could use a fresh beginning too _

_All of my regrets are nothing new _

_So this is the way _

_that I say that I need You _

_This is the way _

_This is the way _

Whether Elena liked it or not, she would have to go back to work today. He had tried calling her several times over the last two days, and she let the answer machine get it. She wasn't avoiding him, no she wasn't that type of person. She was avoiding the idea of him. And it just so happened, that if he were around, so was the idea of him.

She didn't want to return back to work, she wanted to just stay at home. Which was ridiculous, because it was just a note. Just a silly note, it didn't mean anything, he didn't even see her in the alleyway. He probably didn't even know that the note existed. Or at least she didn't want him to know. It would save her a lot of embarrassment. But some small hope in her heart wished he did, so he would know just how she felt. She shook her head at her thoughts. It was thoughts like this that let her heart be broken the first time. She wouldn't let it happen again. With a resolution in her heart, she got ready for work, and left, promising to not let her heart be stolen so easily again.

_That I'm learning to breathe _

_I'm learning to crawl _

_I'm finding that You and _

_You alone can break my fall _

_I'm living again, awake and alive _

_I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies _

She wasn't so surprised to see that he had arrived a good half hour late to work. Nothing new. She was also relieved of the nonchalant way he acted, which meant that he didn't know her feelings for him. Which was just as well, because then she could just pretend that that night never happened. With a sigh of relief she went to her paperwork, and Reno fiddled with a pen.

"Hey Laney…" He said

"What?" She said, not looking up from the papers.

"I was just wonderin…"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him that time.

"Could you get me a coffee?" she rolled her eyes and went back to the questionnaire.

"No, Reno."

"Why not?" he asked with a grin.

"Because, as you can clearly see, I'm busy with paperwork, besides you don't appear to be doing anything, why can't you get it yourself?" She asked logically.

"Because, I'm too lazy to get up right now, besides your coffee tastes better than mine." He answered back. _'God he can be so ANNOYING sometimes.'_ She thought.

"Fine. But you owe me." She said and went to the coffee machine. She really didn't know why she did what he asked. Maybe it was because she was courteous. Or maybe it was because she just couldn't say no to him.

She returned with the coffee, handed it to him, and went back to her desk.

"Hey Laney?" He said again.

"What now, Reno?" She said.

"So I owe you now huh?" He said, smirking.

"For…?"

"The coffee. Isn't that what you just said?" He broadened his smirk to a grin, and in a very high pitched voice said: "Fine, but you owe me."

She felt her ears redden. "I don't sound like that!" She exclaimed.

"Wanna bet?" He said.

She couldn't come up with a retort, so she forced herself to return to work.

"How about I get you a coffee?" He said, smirking. He was thinking something devious. Although what, Elena didn't know. After all, he never offered to do anything, unless it had to do with making a joke out of something.

"Thanks, but if I wanted a coffee, I could have gotten one when I was up." She said politely, not giving anything for a prank this time.

"Ok coffee it is then." He said, but remained seated. After a few moments of him not moving anywhere, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"I thought you were getting a coffee?" She asked.

"I thought you didn't want one." He replied.

"I don't. But you said you were getting one."

"I'll get you one tomorrow." He said.

" Reno, you don't have to get me a coffee. Besides, you're right, your coffee does taste nasty."

"That hurt Laney. Just for that, you're getting me coffee for the next week." He said, pretending her comment hurt.

She smacked her forehead, how did she let herself get into situations like this?

_Hello, good morning, how ya been? _

_Yesterday left my head kicked in _

_I never thought I could fall like that _

_Never knew that I could hurt this bad _

_I'm learning to breathe _

_I'm learning to crawl _

_I'm finding that You and _

_You alone can break my fall _

_I'm living again, awake and alive _

_I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies _

He wasn't so sure what he was doing. He wanted to confront Elena about the note, but he didn't want to make the situation uncomfortable. So instead of telling her about the note, he decided he'd trick her into going out with him. Although he still had to figure out how coffee was involved with this.

" Reno" She said incredulously "I'm not getting you coffee for a week."

"Ok, how bout this, you get me coffee for a week, then I'll get you a dinner on Saturday." He offered. He didn't know if she realized how red her face was turning.

"D-dinner? With you?" She sputtered.

"Why? Something wrong with that?" He asked, grinning, marveling how smart he was with this plan.

"N-nothing." She stuttered "Nothing." She repeated, and smiled.

"So it's a deal then?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's a deal." He wondered briefly, if she knew how much she was beaming right now. "But I expect you to get me coffee."

_So this is the way _

_that I say that I need You _

_This is the way _

_That I say I love You _

_This is the way _

_That I say I'm Yours _

_This is the way _

_This is the way _

-&...&-

Done. I hope it was as good as the chapter before it :) please review!!!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ok everyone, here's the final chapter, I think. I would write more, but I don't want to ruin a perfectly good story by dragging it out. Anyway, Reno, I know that I was going to use "You and Me" but I found a song that fit it better. Ok peoples, I hope you enjoy the chapter, y'all!

To Reno: who has been a very good friend to me; Thank you for your support, we wouldn't have been such good friends if not for it.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own FFVII yada yada yada I also don't own the song A Little More by Skillet.

-&...&-

_Love is all around you now _

_So take a hold _

_Hidden in our words _

_It sometimes ain't enough _

_Don't suffocate day after day _

_It's building up _

_Cause when you're feeling weak _

_You know I'm strong enough _

_Just one more day _

_One more day _

Elena was feeling nervous. No nervous was an understatement. Tonight was the night. Maybe she would tell Reno how she felt during their dinner. She didn't know. She couldn't be sure about anything. The only thing she did know was that she felt like she was flying. She stood up and walked around, only to sit down again, unsure of how she was most comfortable. She had to remind herself that this couldn't possibly be a date, after all, she had seen him with the other woman a week ago. She reminded herself that Reno was just a friend. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but they were rising anyway, despite her effort. Her mind still swimming with thoughts, she waited for his knock.

_Oh, let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Oh, let the world come crashing down _

_Oh, let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Love can take a little _

_Love can give a little more _

Reno walked down the alleyway, a well known shortcut between his and Elena's house. Coincidently, it was the very same alleyway that Elena had dropped her note. He wondered what she was thinking when she hightailed the other way. Of course she had seen him with his sister, but that was just who it was. A smile touched his face when he realized she must be thinking that his sister was his girlfriend. As if. He hadn't had a proper girlfriend in well… a very long time.

He arrived at Elena's door, and hesitated a moment and knocked on the heavy door.

_Love is indestructible _

_So take a hold _

_Sometimes hard to find _

_A reason good enough _

_I'll stand beside you _

_Never leave through it all _

_And faith will bring a way _

_To the impossible _

_Just one more day _

_One more day _

Elena nearly jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Her heartbeat immediately sped up. She took a breath and steadied her self. The insistant knocking continued.

"Just a minute." She called. Still the knocking didn't cease. She rolled her eyes, knowing only Reno would strive to be annoying. She opened the door and found the red-head standing there.

"Hey." He said, and walked into her small living room.

"Hey." She replied. He grinned.

"You ready, Laney?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Ok good let's go." He said, and led her out of the living room door. They walked for a few minutes when Elena piped up.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see." He said and smirked.

_Oh, let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Oh, let the world come crashing down _

_Oh, let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Love can take a little _

_Love can give a little more _

In fact, he had no idea where he was taking her. He figured he'd just wing it, because anywhere he thought of a perfect place to go, he knew she wouldn't like it. Not that she'd say anything, but still, he didn't want to take her anywhere below the plate. So instead, he decided to lead her above the plate and let his feet take him wherever.

"You have no idea where we're going do you?" She asked suddenly next to him.

"Yes, of course I do." He said, how in the hell did she know these things?

She crossed her arms next to him, and he couldn't think of anything to say, so instead he just grinned. Suddenly an idea popped in his head, he knew exactly where he'd take her.

_You can find me _

_You can find me _

_You can find me anywhere _

_Take a look over your shoulder _

_I'll be standing there _

_Standing there _

Elena couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at how he was always so unorganized. But she just decided to leave it at that; she may not know where he was taking her, but at least she was going somewhere with him.

They found themselves above the plate, and they still remained silent. She was happy enough just to not talk and enjoy the walk. It was a beautiful night, and she could see a few stars poke through the clouds.

Reno was beginning to worry, Elena hadn't said anything to him yet. So in an effort to break the silence he said something.

"Nice night, eh?"

"Yeah it's beautiful." She said beside him, her voice was far away, and she was looking up at the sky. He looked up, trying to see what she was seeing, but couldn't find anything particularly interesting.

They stopped outside of a restaurant. It was a very nice restaurant, although Elena had never eaten here before. They walked in, and the place was small, and the atmosphere was pleasant.

_Love is all around you now _

_So take a hold _

_And faith will bring a way _

_To the impossible _

They had eaten a lot. Well, Reno had eaten a lot. He sighed contently across from her, and they engaged in mindless conversation. Suddenly Reno sat up straight. The sudden change in posture had Elena looking around, wondering if anyone of interest had entered the room. Nope, the room was just the same as it was five seconds ago. She looked quizzically at him.

"Hey Laney, can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Yeah of course." She wondered why he seemed nervous.

"I was wonderin…" He started in his usual fashion.

"Yeah." She said again, being patient.

He fumbled a moment in his pocket, looking for something. Finally he pulled it out, it was a very crinkled paper. Realization dawned on her what the paper was. She felt her face grow red with embarrassment.

"Did you write this?" He asked.

_Just one more day _

_(You can find me, You can find me) _

_One more day _

_(You can find me anywhere) _

_(You can find me anywhere) _

Reno wasn't sure why he was asking if she wrote it, it was obvious as the signature at the bottom of the page. He noticed the way her face suddenly turned a most uncomfortable shade of red. She began stuttering out responses to him, her face growing redder and redder. He would have thought the expression on her face was funny if had been any other time.

"Well" He decided to continue, because she obviously wasn't going to say something intelligible in the next minute. "I thought that whoever wrote it should know that I really liked the note." He looked at her. She was still blushing like mad, but it was still obvious that she wasn't going to talk. He fixed his eyes on the dirty, wrinkled paper on the table and continued.

_Let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Oh, let the world come crashing down _

_Oh, let the world crash _

_Love can take it _

_Love can take a little _

_Love can take a little _

_Love can take a little _

_Love can give a little more _

_A little more _

Elena thought for sure that he had never seen the note. She was utterly lost for words. She wanted to say something, maybe to deny that she had never written the note, or maybe she'd explain herself. She wondered if maybe he had found the note and was going to laugh at her because of it. But Reno continued talking.

"And I was thinkin' that maybe I should talk to the person who had written the note." He was looking down at the note, still not looking in her eyes. "and well I was thinkin' that I should ask the person out on a date maybe. And seeing as though that this person worked hard in writing this note," He looked up into her eyes, and there was something in those aqua eyes that told her that this was no joke. "and anyway, I was wonderin' if maybe this person wanted to go out with me." She was still speechless. She didn't know what to say to him. "But since you don't seem to know who this person is, maybe I'll see if anyone else does." He said, and he was smiling. Despite his comment he made no move to get up and leave, much to her relief.

"But what about that one girl…" Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue. He startled her by laughing.

"That was my sister, you'll have to meet her sometime." He grinned "So, how bout it Laney?"

She smiled and nodded. She never made it a habit to trust anyone, but she knew tonight, in the dimly light restaurant, that she could trust him. Even if he was unorganized.

_Take a little more _

_Take a little more _

-&...&-

Ok y'all it's done! I hope that you enjoyed reading it almost as much as I liked writing it. (I hope I got the characters right again, I seem to be having a bit of trouble doing that)


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